Domesticated animals have been a part of society for centuries. What began as a need to utilize animals to perform labor oriented tasks on farms, ranches, etc. has evolved into obtaining ownership of animals for the mere enjoyment and companionship they offer. Thus, pets such as dogs, cats, monkeys, ferrets, horses, etc., have been domesticated to facilitate a mutually fulfilling relationship for both pet and owner.
Domestication of animals for pets, however, adds additional responsibilities to the pet owner. In particular, while the pet owner enjoys the company of his or her pet(s) in a public atmosphere, they must also provide a measure of containment for their pets. One traditional method of containment used by pet owners is to control the movement of their pets with a leash, which allows the pet to freely roam within close proximity to the pet owner. Once the pet has roamed to a maximum distance from its owner, tension in the leash prevents roaming of the pet beyond the maximum distance.
Attachment of the leash to the pet has traditionally been facilitated by a harness, such as a collar or halter. A collar is a device that wraps around the pet's neck and provides a coupling assembly, such as a hook or loop, to facilitate attachment of the leash to the collar. Such an attachment is further facilitated by a clip that is attached to the leash, such that the clip may be mechanically attached to the collar's hook to allow the pet owner to obtain proximity control over his or her pet.
A halter operates similarly, except that the halter mounts to the animal's muzzle, or chest. In such an instance, the pet owner may obtain proximity control without necessarily tugging at the pet's neck. Instead, proximity control may be obtained by applying pressure to the animal's muzzle, or chest, via the attachment of the leash to the halter.
In the past, proximity control over a single pet using a leash/harness assembly has been successful. Many pet owners, however, own two or more pets, which requires a separate leash/harness assembly for each pet, given that the pet owner wishes to establish proximity control over all pets at the same time. Requiring the pet owner to handle multiple pets with multiple leashes can become unwieldy under certain circumstances. If the pets tend to cross each other's path during a walk, for example, then the pet owner is forced to deal with leash entanglement, while at the same time attempting to maintain proximity control over his or her pets.
Some harness/leash assemblies are intended for multiple pets, whereby each pet's leash attaches to a common coupling point. The pet owner may then obtain proximity control over each pet by attaching his or her leash to the common coupling point to create a tandem assembly for multiple pets. Such tandem assemblies, however, are traditionally non-rigid and do not provide a minimum separation distance between each pet. As such, a substantial possibility exists that the pet owner may lose control of his or her pets. A substantial possibility also exists that each pet may become entangled within the tandem assembly.
Efforts continue, therefore, to provide a leash/harness assembly that facilitates proximity control of two or more pets, maintains a constant separation distance between the two or more pets, and substantially eliminates the possibility of entanglement of the pets within the leash/harness assembly.